Calendar
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Ralph Penunuri
Folksinger
Played in Marin County bands Fairfax Street Choir (Gospel Rock), Happy Valley (Progressive Folk); and in Corvallis, Oregon, played in Two Hits & a Ms. (Orig. Roots & Swing), Bon Ton Roulet (Cajun-Zydeco) and Inner Strength Gospel Quartet (Black Congregational style covers — Blind Boys of Alabama, Dixie Hummingbirds, etc…).
Played in front of thousands at UC Berkeley Amphitheater, San Francisco Cow Palace & Golden Gate Park Festivals. Played for just a handful too. Most memorable was SF Cow Palace with Fairfax Street Choir, opening for Crosby-Stills-Nash & Young.
Currently write, play, sit in with friends and host a monthly vocal jam in Corvallis, OR.
Guitar and banjo player Larry Unger and fiddler Audrey Knuth are a Boston based traditional duo who play exhilarating tunes with driving rhythms. Their concerts feature American and Celtic tunes with elements of other traditions including swing and blues. They also draw from Larry’s catalog of original fiddle tunes, which have been featured in several of Ken Burns’ documentaries. Declared a “guitar genius” by Sing Out Magazine, Larry Unger joins fiddler Audrey Knuth in creating a stirring musical experience.
Larry Unger has been a full-time musician since 1984 and has presented a diverse range of musical performances across the United States, Europe, and Scandinavia.
Hailing from Honolulu, Audrey moved to Boston in 2008 to attend Berklee College of Music and to explore the thriving New England folk scene. After graduating, Audrey has made a name for herself in the music community, namely as a dance fiddler and audio engineer.
Please join us for another great summer evening concert on Saturday, August 22 at 7 pm.
Ralph Penunuri
Folksinger
Played in Marin County bands Fairfax Street Choir (Gospel Rock), Happy Valley (Progressive Folk); and in Corvallis, Oregon, played in Two Hits & a Ms. (Orig. Roots & Swing), Bon Ton Roulet (Cajun-Zydeco) and Inner Strength Gospel Quartet (Black Congregational style covers — Blind Boys of Alabama, Dixie Hummingbirds, etc…).
Played in front of thousands at UC Berkeley Amphitheater, San Francisco Cow Palace & Golden Gate Park Festivals. Played for just a handful too. Most memorable was SF Cow Palace with Fairfax Street Choir, opening for Crosby-Stills-Nash & Young.
Currently write, play, sit in with friends and host a monthly vocal jam in Corvallis, OR.
Multiple Grammy-nominee John McCutcheon charms audiences with “story telling that has the richness of fine literature” (Washington Post) and his mastery of a stage full of folk instruments is simply amazing. He plays guitar, fiddle, autoharp, banjo, jaw harp, (hambone if we are lucky) and is best known for his hammered dulcimer playing. A John McCutcheon concert is always energizing, fun, uplifting, community building, and his audiences leave with a renewed sense of hope for humanity. “This notion of telling stories of ordinary people who have done great things, and carrying those stories from one place to another, of telling people ‘this is where I’ve been, these are the stories I can bring you,’ is the heart of what I do,” McCutcheon sums up. “That’s my goal. If you can recognize yourself in my songs, then I’ve done my job.” He lives in Georgia but keeps moving, toward wherever he senses there’s still a story yet to be told.
His 30 recordings have gathered many honors including 7 Grammy nominations. His most recent honors the centenary of Joe Hill’s death on November 19th, 1915. John McCutcheon brings Joe Hill’s music to a whole new audience. With fresh arrangements, stunning musicianship, and released on a palette that makes these songs feel as though they were written today rather than a century ago, there is a life and vitality that is both rare and refreshing. In honor of Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday John recorded THIS LAND: Woody Guthrie’s America. He assembled an all-star cast of songs and musicians to honor America’s most enduring folksong writer: Willie Nelson, Tommy Emmanuel, Kathy Mattea, Tim O’Brien, Stuart Duncan, Tom Chapin, Tom Paxton, Maria Muldaur and more. McCutcheon offers fresh new arrangements and exciting new interpretations of many of Woody’s most well-known songs. He has so much material we never know what he might perform, and of course he gives the audience a chance to request their favorites so plan ahead!
But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”
So if you want to laugh, cry, be inspired, and feel like you are a part of a big community, then don’t miss this concert. More information about John McCutcheon his website is at www.folkmusic.com For info or to volunteer, call Chere Pereira 541-753-9224.
Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.
Tom Rawson
Witty, energetic, and armed with banjo, lap dulcimer, and guitar, he takes the stage to warm applause from the crowd who has turned out to see him. Tom leads them in several classic folk singalongs—his grin broadens as the harmonies swell. He teases them singing one called “This is NOT a Sing-along!” You got it: they sing along anyway, getting louder and fuller as Tom more stridently insists that this is NOT a singalong! His wry humor continues with his rendition of “Key of R”. In between the humor, Tom weaves thoughtful serious messages on topics like racism and war. Most touching was a monologue about the last e-mail messages sent from the World Trade Center by the victims of the September 11 attacks. When the show is over Tom responds to thunderous applause by performing not one, not two, but three encore songs. Hearing a great performer play at a great acoustic venue is a double treat. If you have a chance to hear Tom Rawson, DO IT! And sing along, even if he tells you not to.
Wild Hog in the Woods
Benton Center Acoustic Showcase
Friday, Oct 16, 2015, Noon to 1 pm
The Benton Center Student Lounge,
7th & Polk., Corvallis
Free and open to the public • 541-757-8944
Ralph Penunuri
Folksinger
Played in Marin County bands Fairfax Street Choir (Gospel Rock), Happy Valley (Progressive Folk); and in Corvallis, Oregon, played in Two Hits & a Ms. (Orig. Roots & Swing), Bon Ton Roulet (Cajun-Zydeco) and Inner Strength Gospel Quartet (Black Congregational style covers — Blind Boys of Alabama, Dixie Hummingbirds, etc…).
Played in front of thousands at UC Berkeley Amphitheater, San Francisco Cow Palace & Golden Gate Park Festivals. Played for just a handful too. Most memorable was SF Cow Palace with Fairfax Street Choir, opening for Crosby-Stills-Nash & Young.
Currently write, play, sit in with friends and host a monthly vocal jam in Corvallis, OR.
Todalo Shakers
The Todalo Shakers play vintage jug band party blues and old time rags & stomps which sound like they are lifted right out of 1928 in Memphis, Tennessee or Dallas, Texas. The band features lots of harmony singing, making for a rich palette of vocal blends and a great feeling of camaraderie; the exuberance and fondness that the musicians feel for their material and for each other is unmistakable.
Eric & Suzy Thompson have long been known for their bluesy string band music. The other Todalo Shakers include Mendocino’s Frannie Leopold, who plays guitar, has toured and recorded with New Mexico’s Jeanie McLerie as the Delta Sisters, and with Hank Bradley and Cathie Whitesides as the Balkan Kafe Orchestra. Bruce “W.B.” Reid, who makes his home in Seattle, Washington, spent some of his formative years during his early twenties hanging out in San Diego with bluesman Sam Chatmon, of the legendary string band the Mississippi Sheiks. Bruce has toured and recorded with the Tallboys (Seattle’s hottest oldtime string band), with oldtime fiddler Lee Stripling, with the Carolina Jug Stompers and with his wife, Bonnie Zahnow. The most recent addition to the band is Seattle bassist Matt Weiner who boasts a long resume including stints with the Asylum Street Spankers and Hot Club of Cowtown.
What exactly is a “Todalo”? First of all, it’s pronounced “TOE-dah-low.” It’s closely related to “diddy-wah-diddy”, and crops up occasionally in obscure old blues songs: “I’m satisfied, satisfied, my todalo shaker by my side” is a line from the Memphis Jug Band classic “You May Leave, But This Will Bring You Back” and references to “todalo” turn up in songs by Mississippi John Hurt, Eubie Blake, and Bessie Smith.
The Flow
- Rita Brown: vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, pennywhistle, banjo
- Bill Smyth: electric guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Mike Grattan: bass
- Jed Irvine: drums
The Flow is the union of an acoustic duo and a hard rock band. Rita Brown (Corvallis Gazette-Times favorite female vocalist, 2010) and guitarist/songwriter Bill Smyth toured the Pacific Northwest between 1997 and 2003, playing everything from children’s shows to retirement centers. They recorded two CDs and during this time managed Oregon’s longest running folk coffeehouse. Rita was also the guitarist and lead singer for the eclectic all-girl trio Crooked Kate, while Bill played with popular Albany band 49 Fingers and contributed guitar, keyboards and cross-dressing to “Rocky Horror Show” and other local theater productions. Bassist Mike Grattan and original singer-drummer Don Thorp were members of the powerhouse rock outfit Knockout John, and met Rita and Bill while gigging together in a Joe Cocker cover band. In 2008, Rita, Bill, Mike and Don formed The Flow. Don moved on in 2009, shortly after the completion of the band’s first CD, All Things Flow. Fortunately, virtuoso drummer Jed Irvine had just arrived in Corvallis and The Flow snapped him up. In the bargain came Irvine’s wife, the singer Laurie Barshay, who joins in on harmony from time to time. The Flow’s quest for a permanent keyboardist is epic and eternal. The role has been filled at different times by Susan Peck, Charlie Parker and Fumi Funahashi, and is presently shared by Rita and Bill using bionically enhanced prosthetic limbs. The Flow took a hiatus in 2011 as Rita and Bill spent the year working and playing in Europe and aboard a research ship on the Indian Ocean. Inspired, the band re-united and began the 16-month task of producing its second CD, Spring Wind. The Flow is now firmly in performance mode, raising the roof at local venues and on winery stages (which admittedly don’t have roofs) around the Willamette Valley
“We’ll be playing a concert/dance at the Unitarian Fellowship this coming Saturday. It’s an “originals only” show, so we’ll be pulling some new and old things into play that you likely haven’t heard before. Some snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided.”
Sharon and Dave Thormahlen
Sharon and Dave have been making beautiful music together in Corvallis for decades. They perform traditional and new music written by Sharon, mostly on instruments made by Dave.
Gathering at 6:30
Music at 7:00
Please bring a snack or drink to share.
WINTERDANCE
a Celtic Christmas Celebration
Molly’s Revenge and special guest vocalist Christa Burch with The Murray Irish Dancers
(out of Portland) will present an evening of music, song and dance associated with the festive season. The performance will include Christmas songs both old and new, all played with a Celtic twist, as well as selections from the band’s new album.
The California-based group has toured internationally since 2000 as an acoustic band, releasing ten CDs. In 2013, Molly’s Revenge as a trio released an all-instrumental collection titled Trio, recorded at a remote windswept retreat in the redwoods of the Mendocino coast. Trio is a compelling collection of fierce and beautiful tunes encompassing Scottish pipe sets, driving Irish reels, jigs, polkas, slides, and hornpipes, French Canadian fiddle tunes, and even a set of American oldtime melodies featuring Highland pipes.
Molly’s Revenge, whose lineup includes bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, guitar, mandola, and bodhran, have toured extensively in the USA as well as Australia, China and Scotland. The band is known for its unique and infectious on-stage enthusiasm. Their arrangements of traditional jigs and reels bring these dance tunes up to date with a driving, hard-edged accent that always leaves audiences shouting for more.
Guest vocalist Christa Burch possesses a singular voice: warm, supple, expressive, intimate, and instantly recognizable. Part of a vibrant new generation of American folk singers, Christa deftly marries intuitive musicianship and storytelling through song. To balance the gentle beauty of Christa’s songs, The Murray Irish Dancers bring a percussive, joyful, and colorful exuberance to the stage. This 10th Annual Celtic Christmas Celebration will capture the traditional spirit of the season and warm the hearts of all.
The Murray School of Irish Dancing offers classes for students of all ages and levels wishing to become outstanding Irish dancers. At the Murray school we believe in supporting students through enhancing their self esteem and confidence. We also encourage our students to work hard and strive for excellence. Through this they will develop skills that will last a lifetime. We endeavor to create a safe learning environment for all students through mutual respect and responsibility towards all teachers, students and parents in The Murray School. We welcome students from all levels of dance experience and of all cultural backgrounds to learn about Irish Culture, Music and Dance and to be part of the Murray team.
Sharon and Dave Thormahlen
Sharon and Dave create beautiful music on harp and a slew of other instruments, mostly made by Dave. Their repertoire includes traditional, pop and originals by Sharon.
Shook Twins
Born and raised in Sandpoint Idaho, Shook Twins are an Indie folk-pop band now hailing from coniferous forested Portland, Oregon. Identical twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, Kyle Volkman and Niko Daoussis form the core quartet. Central elements of the Shook Twins’ sound are a wide range of instrumentation, including banjo, guitar, electric and upright bass, mandolin, electric guitar, electronic drums, face drum (beatbox), glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo drumming and their signature golden EGG. Beautiful twin harmonies, layered upon acoustic and electric instrumentation coupled with Laurie’s inventive use of percussive and ambient vocal loops, and Katelyn’s repurposed telephone microphone, set their sound apart, creating a unique and eccentric blend of folk, roots, groove and soul.
Third Thursday Imagine Open Mic Night
Traditional Coffeehouse Music, Poetry and Standup Comedy
Solos – Trios, signup & keyboard setup 6:30 pm.
With the launch of Imagine Coffee’s Third Thursday Imagine Open Mic Night, Corvallis now has three solid weeks of Open Mics every month.
Hosted by a collective of seasoned local songwrights and creatives, the unique character of Imagine’s Open Mic is the variety of it’s traditional coffeehouse format of the ’50’s to ’60’s ‘Village and college community enclaves — which hosted an emerging new populism of deep cultural roots and social activism. This creative renaissance set the stage for the major paradigm shift and cultural blossoming of the 1960’s and ’70’s, which rocked, enlightened and often conflicted with the established conformity and malaise of that era, as it conflicted with yet enriched fixed institutions of the day worldwide with a creative consciousness and power we still see all around us in that new paradigm’s diaspora today. It is still evolving and growing, and still outside the mainstream, like wildflower and weed pushing up through the established pavement of mainstream media culture. This is the spirit we bring to this new monthly event. ~:o)